Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review

Summary

The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL offers a refined design with a striking camera bump, featuring an Ultra-wide and selfie camera upgrade. It boasts an LTPO OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and impressive brightness, along with the latest Tensor G4 chipset and AI capabilities, including Google's Gemini for real-time language support and advanced photo editing features. While it provides solid battery life and fast charging, its video recording quality lags behind competitors. The Pixel 9 Pro XL is a feature-packed flagship with long-term software support, ideal for those valuing design, AI features, and camera performance.

Takeaways

• 📱 The Pixel 9 Pro XL is Google's new flagship phone, slightly larger than its predecessor, with a new Ultra wide and selfie camera.
• 📐 It features a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for protection.
• 🔋 The device has an improved under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor and offers storage options up to 1TB, non-expandable via micro SD.
• 🌞 The display boasts a significant improvement in max brightness, reaching over 12,200 nits manually and up to 2,200 nits in auto mode.
• 🔧 Google's new Tensor G4 chipset powers the Pixel 9 Pro XL, offering a new CPU and higher GPU clock speed, with AI tasks handled by an unchanged TPU.
• 📹 The camera system includes a 50 MP main camera, 48 MP 5x telephoto zoom, and a new 48 MP ultra-wide camera, all with autofocus.
• 📸 The main camera delivers excellent daylight photos with high contrast and balanced color rendition, along with good performance in low light.
• 🎥 The Pixel 9 Pro XL can record 4K video across all cameras, with the main and telephoto cameras also supporting 8K recording.
• 🔌 It supports 37W fast charging, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging, with improved battery life over the previous model.
• 🤖 The phone comes with Android 14 and introduces AI-based features like Google's Gemini for real-time answers and conversation summarization.
• 🛡️ Google promises seven years of software support and availability of spare parts for the Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Q & A

What are the two Pro models introduced by Google this year?

This year, Google introduced two Pro models: the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro XL.

What is the primary difference between the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro XL?

The primary difference between the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the size, with the XL being the larger model.

What are some of the new features introduced in the Pixel 9 Pro XL compared to the previous model?

New features in the Pixel 9 Pro XL include an Ultra wide and selfie camera, a new chipset, faster charging, and 8K video capture.

How does the design of the Pixel 9 Pro XL differ from its predecessor?

The Pixel 9 Pro XL introduces a design change with a flat back and frame, a matte back protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and a glossy aluminum frame. The camera bump has a new standout design and also houses a thermometer sensor.

What is special about the display of the Pixel 9 Pro XL?

The Pixel 9 Pro XL features a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. It also has a significant improvement in max brightness, reaching over 12,200 nits with the manual slider.

What is the upgrade in the under-display fingerprint sensor in the Pixel 9 Pro XL?

The Pixel 9 Pro XL upgrades the under-display fingerprint sensor from an optical to an ultrasonic sensor, which is super fast and responsive.

What is the storage capacity range for the Pixel 9 Pro XL and is it expandable?

The Pixel 9 Pro XL comes with storage options of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or even a whole terabyte, but it is not expandable through micro SD.

How does the Pixel 9 Pro XL utilize Google's Gemini AI?

Google's Gemini AI in the Pixel 9 Pro XL allows for real-time answers to questions, summarizing conversations from calls, texts, or emails, and offers advanced AI capabilities like Pixel Studio for AI-generated images and Designs.

What is the battery life performance of the Pixel 9 Pro XL?

The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a 5,60mAh battery and achieved an active use score of 12 hours and 32 minutes in tests, which is an improvement over the previous model.

What are the camera specifications of the Pixel 9 Pro XL and how do they perform?

The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a 50MP main camera, a 48MP 5x telephoto zoom, and a 48MP ultra-wide camera on the back, along with a new 42MP front-facing camera. The main camera captures excellent daylight photos with crisp detail and good dynamic range, while the ultra-wide camera delivers very good daylight photos with plenty of detail. The front-facing camera has seen a clear upgrade, producing nicely detailed selfies with vivid colors and excellent dynamic range.

What is the video recording capability of the Pixel 9 Pro XL?

The Pixel 9 Pro XL can record video in 4K with all of its cameras, and the main and telephoto cameras also support 8K video recording. However, the sharpness of the 4K videos is unimpressive and softer compared to the competition.